Debuting this semester, Texas State University students looking to explore or reconnect with their faith, are being introduced to a bite-size 15-minute podcast called Wisdom Bytes, a non-preachy approach aimed to reach them on their phones and laptops. It’s the brainchild of Breanne Saldivar, the campus minister at Our Lady of Wisdom University Parish in San Marcos. “In 2019, we have to reach students where they’re at — their phones,” she said. Testament Tuesdays (www.soundcloud.com/WisdomBytes) highlight students telling about their spiritual lives, from personal struggles to the challenges young people practicing their faith face on campus. Father Craig Fridays features Father Craig DeYoung, the pastor of the parish, who answers questions emailed to Saldivar. Father DeYoung is a breath of fresh air, said Saldivar who hosts the podcast. “I’m not a rapper,” the priest said after an introduction in one of the podcasts. Students email Father DeYoung pressing questions about Catholicism. And they sometimes resort to the silly. “Does pineapple belong on pizza?” one asked. “Absolutely. Hawaiian pizza is the way to go,” Father DeYoung responded. One of the weighty questions was “Is there a wrong way to pray?” to which the priest emphasized that the only wrong way to pray is not to pray. “Prayer is where the heart of God speaks to the heart of man and vice-versa. Prayer is a conversation with God and adds to that relationship with God,” he responded. Another student asked about Mass attendance. “Do you have to be at church to worship God or can I do that at home? Isn’t God everywhere?” Father DeYoung said church attendance is an act of faith. “We can’t fulfill the command of God at home. In church, we come together and become one in Christ,” he said. Another student addressed recreational drug use: “Is it OK to smoke weed?” The priest said, “It’s illegal and as Christians we want to uphold the law of the land.” He also reminded that God gives us the power of reason. “We lower ourselves if we abandon the capacity of reason and act on instinct,” he said. Father DeYoung likes the idea of invoking the wisdom of Jesus Christ through media. “It has a sense of authenticity of being Catholic. They are listening while searching for answers with their struggles,” he said. Saldivar was at her former job at St. William Parish in Round Rock when she first noticed college students disengaged with church. “They’d come to visit, and they were disconnected or not even Catholic anymore. I wondered, ‘what happened?’ Statistically, if students as freshmen don’t plug into a college Catholic community, we lose them. They will get involved with alcohol and sex and consequently feel unworthy about returning to church,” she said. When she began working at Our Lady of Wisdom earlier this year, she was determined to begin programs to reconnect students through campus ministry. Hence, the podcast. The podcast idea is a testament to listening to God, Saldivar said. When she started, she had no expertise, office space, equipment or funds. “Benefactors stepped forward, space opened up and we got some equipment,” Saldivar said. “But I didn’t know the first thing about starting a podcast.” However her prayer was answered at a new student orientation event Saldivar attended this summer where she met Kevin McAdams of Santa Cruz Parish in Buda. “I told him we were starting a podcast but had no idea where to begin. He said he had 15 years’ experience in radio and offered to help set it up. He produced the test runs and trained Luke Cohen on post production editing,” she said. Giving a testimony on the podcast is easy for senior Josie Soehnge who is studying international relations. “It’s being a witness to your life. It’s organic evangelization because we crave authenticity,” she said. Producer Luke Cohen, a senior marketing major, enjoys hearing the testimonies. “The stories are astonishing of how people accept God into their lives. It’s kind of an outlet to tell relatable stories,” he said. Saldivar’s hope is that those tuning in will eventually make their way to the campus ministry office at Our Lady of Wisdom. She also has more in mind for the future. “It’s in God’s hands. I’d like to get a camera in the studio and put the podcast on YouTube. I’d like to do a live stream. It’s a dream,” she said. For more information about Our Lady of Wisdom University Parish in San Marcos, visit www.txstatecatholic.org.